Sarandibrinus araceliae sp. n.

Small, castaneous, shining Saprininae; basal half of elytra glabrous, apical half covered with rugulose-lacunose punctation. Head comparatively large, frontal and supra-orbital striae absent, sensory structures of antennal club in form a single ball-shaped vesicle situated on internal distal side of the antenna under the apical slit-like orifice, pronotum wholly punctate, pronotal hypomeron ciliate; prosternal foveae large, round and deep. Meso- and metaventrite as well as first visible abdominal ventrite wholly punctate; spiculum gastrale only slightly constricted laterally instead of possessing a clear ‘head’ and ‘stem’ (sensu Caterino and Tishechkin 2013).

By the absent frontal and supra-orbital striae this taxon can be confused with two other sympatric genera: Gnathoncus Jacquelin du Val, 1858 (differing from it by the cuticular colour as well as presence of prosternal foveae) or Euspilotus Lewis, 1907, differing from it likewise by the metallic dorsum, ciliate pronotal epipleuron (both species of Euspilotus known from the region have glabrous pronotal hypomeron) or coarsely punctate frontal disk, with punctures forming elongate rugae (both Euspilotus species known from the region have their frontal disks covered with scattered punctures, never forming elongate rugae. The best differentiating character between the three taxa is probably the number of vesicles inside the antennal club: Gnathoncus possesses five, Euspilotus two or three, respectively, while Sarandibrinus has only one vesicle. The single vesicle character is present also in the sympatric genera Hypocaccus, Hypocacculus and Malagasyprinus, but the vesicle is pear-shaped vs. ball shaped in Sarandibrinus. Hypocaccus, Hypocacculus and Malagasyprinus furthermore, possess frontal and supraorbital striae, while Sarandibrinus lacks both. By the large oblique and deep prosternal foveae this taxon can be confused with the recently described genus Malagasyprinus Lackner & Gomy, 2013, differing from it by the cuticular colour (castaneous vs. dark blue/green) as well as absence of frontal and supra-orbital striae (Malagasyprinus possesses supra-orbital striae and its frontal stria is widely interrupted and prolonged onto clypeus). See also Key to the genera of the Saprininae from Madagascar (below).

The series of the new taxon was collected by sifting the litter in spiny forest (thicket) as well as by flight intercept (or yellow pan, Malaise) traps in desert scrub forest.

Madagascar, Toliara Province (Fig. 22).

The name of this new genus has been formed using the word “Sarandib” – one of the ancient names given by Arabs to the far-flung island that later became Madagascar and “rinus” – the two final syllabus of the name “Saprinus” to demonstrate its position as belonging to the Saprininae subfamily.

Madagascar, Toliara prov., Mahavelo Forest; Ifaty (Fig. 22).

Holotype, ♂, side-mounted on a rectangular mounting card, male genitalia extracted and glued to the same card as specimen, with the following labels: “♂” (hand-written); followed by: “MADAGASCAR: Toliara / Prov., Forêt de Mahavelo / Isantoria River, elev 115 m / 5.5. km 37°NE Ifotaka / 31.i.2002” (printed); followed by: “25°45'13"S, 46°9'5"E / coll: Fisher, Griswold et al. / Calif. Acad. of Sciences / sifted litter - spiny forest / thicket, code: BLF5278” (printed); followed by: “CASENT / 8065358” (printed); followed by: “Sarandibrinus / araceliae sp. n. / Det. T. Lackner & Y. / Gomy 2014 HOLOTYPE” (red, hand-written label) (CAS). Paratypes: 1 ♂ & 4 ♀♀, same data, but: “CASENT / 8065359”; “CASENT / 8065357”; “CASENT / 8065361”; “CASENT / 8065360” (two female paratypes, “8065360” & “8065361” are sputter-coated with gold); 1 ♀, with the following labels: “MADAGASCAR: Prov. / Toliara; Ifaty / 23°09'S, 43°37'E / 17–22 Sept. 1993” (printed); followed by: “Flight intercept / yellow pan trap in / Malaise trap in / desert scrub forest” (printed); followed by: “W. E. Steiner & R. Andriamasimanana / collectors” (printed); followed by: “Sarandibrinus / araceliae sp. n. Det. / T. Lackner & Y. Gomy / 2014 PARATYPE” (red, hand-written label); 1 ♀, with the following labels: MADAGASCAR: "Toliara Prov. / Parc National d'Andohahela / Forêt de Manantalinjo 33.6 km / 63° ENE Amboasary, 7.6 km / 99° E Hazofotsy, 12-16 I 2002" (printed); followed by: "24°49'1"S, 46°36'36"E / coll: Fisher, Griswold et al. / California Acad. of Sciences / sifted litter - in spiny forest / thicket, elev. 150m BFL4810" (printed); followed by: "CASENT / 8065685" (printed); followed by: "Sarandibrinus / araceliae sp. nov. / Det. T. Lackner & / Y. Gomy 2014 PARATYPE" (red label, written); (1 ♂ in coll. CYG; 1 ♀ in coll. TLAN; rest of the paratypes in coll. CAS).

Body length: PEL: 2.20–2.50 mm; APW: 1.00–1.25 mm; PPW: 1.75–2.00 mm; EW: 1.75–2.20 mm; EL: 1.35–1.60 mm. Body (Figs 1–2) roundly oval, convex, elytra widest at humeri; cuticle of elytra castaneous, shining, without metallic luster; pronotum darker; body ventrally dark brown to almost black; abdominal ventrites (except for first visible) rufescent; legs, mouthparts and antennae light brown to castaneous.

Antennal scape (Fig. 3) slightly thickened, lower margin carinate, with several rather long ramose setae and several scattered punctures; club (Fig. 4) oval, without visible articulation, dorsal surface on basal 2/3 glabrous, apical 1/3 with dense short sensilla intermingled with sparser longer erect sensilla; ventrally (Fig. 4) setose patch covers larger part of antennal club as dorsally, on each (distal and proximal) side with a single slit-like orifice; sensory structures of antennal club in form a single ball-shaped vesicle situated on internal distal side of the antenna under the slit-like orifice (Fig. 13).

Mouthparts: mandibles obscurely variolate, punctate, mandibular apex pointed; sub-apical tooth of left mandible not examined; labrum (Fig. 12) convex, densely imbricate, its convexity interrupted by slight median concavity; labral pits situated near anterior margin, each with two well-sclerotized long setae; terminal labial palpomere thickened, about 1.5 times as long as penultimate, its width about half its length, truncate apically; mentum (Fig. 5) trapezoidal, anterior margin deeply inwardly arcuate, on each side with four long ramose setae, lateral margins with single row of much shorter ramose setae, disk of mentum imbricate; cardo of maxilla with few short setae; stipes triangular, with three long ramose setae; terminal maxillary palpomere thickened, truncate apically, about twice times as long as penultimate; its width about half its length.

Clypeus (Fig. 3) rather short, flat, sub-quadrate, punctate, punctures linked with carinate strioles; frontal and supraorbital striae absent, in several specimens inter-linked carinate strioles appear as fragments of frontal stria; sculpture of frontal disc (Fig. 3) identical to that of clypeus; eyes flattened, almost invisible from above; occipital stria absent.

Pronotal sides (Fig. 1) moderately narrowing anteriorly; apical angles obtuse; anterior margin of pronotum broadly arcuate; pronotal depressions absent; marginal pronotal stria thin, slightly carinate and complete, somewhat weakened behind head; pronotal disc entirely covered by unusually deep and dense punctures, interspaces between them shorter than half their own diameter; pronotal hypomeron with fine dense yellow setae; scutellum well visible.

Elytral epipleura in several punctures; marginal epipleural stria fine, complete; marginal elytral stria straight, well impressed and slightly carinate, continued as weakened but complete apical elytral stria that is connected to complete sutural elytral stria. Humeral elytral stria short, deeply impressed on basal fourth, but difficult to discern due to very coarse and dense punctures and irregular strioles surrounding it; inner subhumeral stria present as a rather long medio-apical fragment; elytra with thin striae 1–4; striae in weak punctures, reaching approximately elytral half apically; fourth dorsal elytral stria basally connected with sutural elytral stria under broad arch; sutural elytral stria well-impressed and complete, in fine punctures, on apical half almost not discernible due to the extremely dense confluent punctation, apically connected with apical elytral stria, between it and elytral suture a row of fine punctures present; these fine punctures present also along entire elytral base and slightly entering elytral intervals basally; elytral humeri and flanks densely punctate, elytral disc on basal half (roughly) with large oval ‘mirror’ occupying approximately entire elytral intervals 1–4; apical half of elytra (roughly) covered with extremely coarse confluent punctures and longitudinal rugae, basally slightly entering also elytral intervals; extreme elytral apex impunctate.

Propygidium and pygidium densely and coarsely punctate, punctures separated by about their own diameter.

Anterior margin of median portion of prosternum (Fig. 6) almost straight; marginal prosternal stria present, almost complete; prosternal process between carinal prosternal striae slightly concave, with dense large setigerous punctation; carinal prosternal striae well-impressed, broadly divergent anteriorly, terminating in deep and large prosternal foveae; lateral prosternal striae carinate, sub-parallel, connected in front of apices of carinal prosternal striae, surface mesad of them with a regular row of fine microscopic setae.

Anterior margin of mesoventrite broadly inwardly arcuate; discal marginal mesoventral stria present only laterally, antero-medially obliterated; disc of mesoventrite with dense deep large punctures separated by less than their own diameter; meso-metaventral sutural stria absent; meso-metaventral suture well discernible; intercoxal disc of metaventrite in male with slight longitudinal median concavity almost indiscernible in female, completely covered by punctures identical to those of mesoventrite; lateral metaventral stria (Fig. 7) well impressed, carinate, almost straight, stopping short of metacoxa; lateral disc of metaventrite slightly concave, with punctation similar to that of metaventrite; metepisternum + fused metepimeron (Fig. 7) with even denser and deeper punctation; metepisternal stria absent.

Intercoxal disc of the first abdominal ventrite almost completely striate laterally; disc with punctation similar to that of lateral disc of metaventrite.

Protibia (Figs 8–9) slightly dilated, outer margin apically with single low tooth topped by denticle, followed by three large triangular teeth topped by denticle and another two low teeth topped by denticle; all five teeth diminishing in size gradually in proximal direction, followed by a three tiny denticles growing out directly from outer margin of protibia; setae of outer row regular, ramose, rather long; protarsal groove rather shallow; anterior protibial stria incomplete, bearing short and regular setae of intermedian row; another complimentary short stria originating approximately near tarsal insertion present; tarsal denticles absent; protibial spur (Fig. 8) short, straight, growing out from near the tarsal insertion; apical margin of protibia posteriorly with two widely separated tiny denticles; outer part of posterior surface with a sparse row of minute denticles situated on low protuberances, separated from imbricate median part of posterior surface by a definite ridge; posterior protibial stria complete, terminating in three tiny inner denticles; inner row of setae double, setae dense and short.

Mesotibia (Fig. 10) slender, outer margin with a dense row of approximately 7 prominent denticles situated inside low teeth; setae of outer row sparse, about as long as denticles themselves; setae of intermedian row shorter and finer than those of outer row, regular; posterior mesotibial stria almost complete; anterior surface of mesotibia variolate-punctate, with another row of approximately 7 denticles shorter than those of outer row; anterior mesotibial stria complete, terminating in single tiny inner anterior denticle; mesotibial spur rather long; apical margin of mesotibia with three short denticles; mesotarsomeres telescopically becoming narrower apically, each bearing two thick setae ventrally; claws of apical tarsomere slightly bent, approximately one-third its length; metatibia (Fig. 11) slenderer and longer than mesotibia, in most respects similar to it, but denticles of outer margin not growing out from inside low teeth and setae of outer row shorter than those of mesotibia.

Male genitalia. Eighth sternite (Figs 14–15) apically with tiny vela adorned with a row of long, sparse setae; halves separated medially. Eighth tergite (Fig. 15) apically outwardly arcuate; eighth sternite and tergite fused laterally (Fig. 16). Ninth tergite (Figs 17–18) when compared to tenth tergite conspicuously long, acutely inwardly arcuate basally; tenth tergite (Fig. 17) apically slightly inwardly arcuate. Spiculum gastrale of both known male specimens (on basal part) damaged during the manipulation with genitalia, so we are only able to depict its ‘reconstruction’ here (Fig. 21): median part only slightly constricted, typical ‘head’ and ‘stem’ (sensu Caterino and Tishechkin 2013) absent. Aedeagus (Figs 19–20) with rather large basal piece, its length ratio to the length of the parameres approximately 1:3. Aedeagus on the whole slender; parameres of the aedeagus fused on the basal half (approximately), aedeagus constricted medially and laterally curved.

This species is dedicated to Mrs. Araceli Cancino, wife of the famous Belgian comics illustrator Midam, in appreciation of the publication of the three volumes of “Carnets de Grrreeny”.